With their 5-1 victory against AC Milan in yesterday’s derby, Inter Milan delivered a “slap in the face” to their city rivals.
According to FCInterNews, this is the perspective from today’s print issue of the Rome-based publication Corriere dello Sport.
Both Inter and Milan were confident going into yesterday’s derby game.
Each team had won their first three games of the season, the Nerazzurri and the Rossoneri. They were the only two Serie A teams to start the season undefeated.
Monza, Cagliari, and Fiorentina had been defeated by Inter. Bologna, Torino, and Roma have fallen to Milan in the meanwhile.
Due to their recent success, the two Milan teams were considered early favorites to win Serie A.
And it had, obviously, given yesterday’s game the appearance of being a key early indicator in the Scudetto battle.
But Inter appeared to significantly alter the nature of the race in a matter of hours.
A “Slap in the Face” for AC Milan Comes From Inter Milan
Milan did had some good moments in the derby yesterday
The majority belonged to the Rossoneri, and there were times when they began to rediscover their rhythm and probe Inter’s defense for openings. Ironically, Milan’s most aggressive stretch occurred immediately before Marcus Thuram added Inter’s second goal.
Rafael Leao’s goal in the second half even appeared to have given Milan a way back into the game.
A 2-2 tie or even a 2-1 defeat for Milan after being down 2-0 at the break would not have been the worst blow.
After an hour had passed, though, Inter quickly responded to Leao’s strike, the first goal the Nerazzurri had given up this year.
The three goals scored by Inter stunned the Rossoneri.
This is the kind of statement result from which Milan will need to mentally and confidently rebound.
They also cannot go on for too long. In only a few days, Newcastle United will face Stefano Pioli’s group in the Champions League
Then there’s Verona in Serie A, where Milan practically feels under pressure to pick themselves up immediately after a “slap in the face.”
